The Coma Game
by Lcsaf
Summary: The good news: separating your spirit from your body without dying IS possible. But as Kagome finds out, it's getting back INTO her body that's the hard part.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** As it become more and more PAINFULLY obvious that I **DON'T** own Inu-Yasha or any of his friends, I don't think there's going to be a problem, is there?

**A/N:** You can thank Rozefire for the name. The title comes from one of her chapters in "28 Days". **Edit:** 25.07.2007,_ For fleshing out the chapter, because I was too excited to get anything down properly and too eager to post to do a proper edit on the chapter. You can reread it and then move on without missing anything now._

* * *

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Her heart pounded furiously in her chest as she gripped the pencil harder in her clammy hand.

The numbers on the page seemed to swim across the graph.

She raised her eyes to the clock. One minute left.

Swallowing hard, she scrambled to finish solving and graphing the equation.

"And time is up," the instructor called out. "Please put your pencils down."

Kagome set her pencil down and leaned back in her seat with a sigh. Around her, others were doing the same and the tense silence that had engulfed the room during the test dissolved into quiet chatter as the students compared answers.

From behind, she heard a familiar voice. "Solve for **_y_**?! Oh _no_!"

That would be Eri, who would be talking to Yuka, Kagome absently noted.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," another voiced commented in a relieved tone.

Kagome looked up to see Ayami, the smartest of the four of them, turned in her seat to face Kagome.

"That's easy for you to say," Kagome insisted. "I studied all night last night. And I think I had a nightmare about this exam."

"There had better be some more letters in this equation," Yuka could be heard warning.

Eri's moan was the only response.

"At least I'm not the only one," Kagome noted with relief. She reluctantly handed her test and her answers to the instructor, who was passing by.

The bell announced the end of classes for the day.

"Today's results will be posted tomorrow," the instructor informed them. "I will see you next time."

The scrape of chairs was nearly deafening as the students rose to leave.

"Can you believe we're almost sophomores?" Yuka asked as the four of them left the room. "Freshman term has gone by so quickly."

"That's because we've spent the whole time with our noses in books, trying to keep up," Kagome joked.

"You say that, but _you're_ the only one with the boyfriend. So you **must** have time to date," Eri pointed out.

Kagome blushed. "Hojo? He's not….we're not really…"

"Higurashi!"

The quartet turned to see a young man making his way toward them--or Kagome, to be more specific.

Yuka glanced slyly at Kagome. "You were saying?"

"We'll wait for you outside, Kagome," Ayumi told her and ushered the other two off towards the school gate.

Kagome nodded and turned to face the young man who was now standing in front of her. "Hi, Hojo."

Hojo, from class B, was arguably the most handsome boy in their grade, and certainly the most sought after. Much to many girls' dismay, he seemed to take an interest in Kagome.

"How do you think you did on the maths practice exam?" he greeted.

Kagome rolled her eyes and groaned. "Horribly."

Hojo looked concerned. "Really? How much did you study?"

"Three nights including all night last night, but everything just kind of melds together in my brain."

"I could…tutor you," the young man offered sincerely. He was so sweet.

"It might be too late for that," Kagome warned kindly. "Exams are only a week away."

"So, are you going home to study now? I could walk you there."

"Actually, I promised my friends that I would go to WacDonald's with them after school."

Hojo's shoulders visibly drooped and Kagome felt a twinge of remorse. For the last two weeks he had been mostly unsuccessful in carving out some time alone together, due to his soccer practice and school exams looming near. And she did feel bad about not having extra time, but being seriously pursued (however romantic and honest his intentions towards her were), kind of intimidated Kagome. This was the first time a good-looking boy had taken interest in her.

"Oh," said the boy, dejectedly. "Well, how about tomorrow then?"

"Alright," Kagome agreed. "We could study together, as well."

Hojo's head snapped up. Apparently, he had been expecting to be rejected again. Hope sparked in his eyes as they made plans to meet after school at the shoe lockers and Kagome resolved to try to do more than 'toss him the occasional bone'…. as soon as exams were over.

"Another date?" Yuka asked with a grin as Kagome rejoined their group.

"He's just going to walk me home tomorrow," Kagome insisted. She decided to keep the part about her study-date a secret from the other girls; otherwise, she'd never hear the end of it.

"Do you know how many girls would love to have Hojo walk them home?" Eri asked.

"You are at least going to be grateful enough to invite him inside, _right_?" Yuka probed menacingly. "And your mother won't be home yet, you could have some private time."

Kagome could feel herself turning red. "It's not like that at all!" she hissed as they crossed the street. She prayed they wouldn't guess too closely. "Hojo is a gentleman." _And she wasn't that type of girl_. "Besides, we wouldn't be alone, not with Jii-chan and Souta home too."

Actually, between her grandfather and her little brother vying for Hojo's attention every time he came over, Kagome could barely find two minutes alone to call her own with her suitor. If Jii-chan wasn't dragging the poor young man around the grounds and recounting the past of every sacred object on her family's shrine, then he insisted on playing shogi; hinting heavily of Hojo "taking good care of Kagome". And Souta just loved having the older boy around to play with or tutor him. Really, one would think that the family's males--not Kagome--invited the young man into the Higurashi home.

"He could climb into your bedroom window and you could close your door," Ayumi suggested.

"Not you, too!" Kagome moaned. Now, they were just getting ridiculous.

"Well, they do that all the time in the teen dramas on television!" Ayumi insisted, completely missing the eye rolls the other girls exchanged between themselves. "And it's so romantic…"

"Ugh, I am so full!" Eri exclaimed, holding her stomach as the girls walked out of WacDonald's.

"Well, that wasn't exactly a _snack_ you had there," Yuka pointed out not unkindly.

"Yeah, I know, but it's been such a long time since I've been there and it all tasted so good," Eri whined.

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts, because we've got to really buckle down now and study for these exams," Kagome reminded them. "No more distractions," she said, quoting their motto from studying for entrance exams.

"Don't ruin such a good moment yet!" Eri cried in indignation. "It's too early to get so depressed." Beside her, Yuka nodded.

"We could come back and celebrate the end of exams here," Ayumi suggested.

The girls all agreed that Ayumi's idea had merit and made the agreement to save their pocket money for their next date to celebrate the end of exams, for better or for worse.

"Well, I've going home to study," Kagome insisted. "I don't want to celebrate a 'for worse' exam week."

Her comment was met with concurrence and the girls said their goodbyes and parted from Kagome.

As Kagome headed down the block in the direction opposite from her friends, the crosswalk light at the end of the block flashed the Walk signal, with its bright white light.

Not normally one for compulsion, Kagome made the quick decision to catch up to the light and cross with the tail of the pedestrian-train. She wasn't far from the end of the block and this particular light tended to favour the cross walkers a little longer. With a burst of speed, she caught up to the street just as the light was starting to blink in warning of its imminent change and stepped off the sidewalk a mere metre behind the last person.

Her miniscule feeling of triumph was interrupted by a huge flock of birds that had taken to flight, giving onlookers—Kagome included, a moment to pause in awe of the natural wonder.

Unfortunately, with her attention diverted, Kagome failed to notice that the light had changed. And that she was the only one left on the crosswalk.

She never saw the car coming.

The squeal of brakes was her only warning before she was sent flying through the air. _Just like the birds._

For a moment all Kagome saw was sky….and then….nothing.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay for re-writes! I remember having the idea for this and trying so hard to capture the essence of the story, that apparently, I couldn't be bothered for details. So, now that it's fixed and the characters are in place a little better (especially, Hojo), we can move on to the next chapter, ne? 


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I know they're not mine and you do, too. We know I don't own them, so please don't sue.

**A/N:** So, I recently reopened some old story folders of mine. Six years is an acceptable waiting period between updates, right? In all seriousness, you may want to reread the first chapter before continuing with this one. Enjoy.

_Yuurei_- broad term for Japanese ghost

_Hitaikakushi_- the white triangle piece of cloth covering the forehead of Japanese ghosts

* * *

A horn honked.

Kagome opened her eyes. She was standing in the middle of the crosswalk with the traffic at an impatient stop.

A torrent of pedestrians came her way and Kagome scrambled to cross the street with the crowd to avoid being in the way. As the crowd dispersed onto the safety of the sidewalk, Kagome took a moment to catch her breath and get her bearings. What had just happened?

She'd been in the middle of the crosswalk…watching birds flying...but, then what?

_Zoning out_, she decided. She had probably been staring off into space again. Maybe all the stress in her life had been getting to her? She'd have to take it easy after exams. But first she'd have to pass.

With that in mind, Kagome hurried down the sidewalk towards home.

The small Shinto shrine her house resided on came into view just before the sun was starting to set. The sight unexplainably put her at ease and she bounded the steps with more vigor than usual. The grounds were well lit despite the shadows that had begun to lengthen. And Kagome took a moment to take in the view. The tidy courtyard boasted the Goshinboku, all wrapped in its paper prayered glory, the well house and their home.

Home. Kagome felt an unexpected tug at her heart. She had always felt the most peace being here, at home. It felt _good_ to be here.

"I'm home!" she called before she even reached the entrance door.

As if in response, the entrance door slid open, revealing Souta, who was still looking over his shoulder.

"Don't forget your homework!" Mrs. Higurashi's voice floated from in the house.

"I won't!" Souta called, walking straight past Kagome, without saying 'hello'. Of course, he probably didn't see her, with his head turned like that.

Kagome silently watched he brother cross the Shrine grounds with a smile. Souta was so oblivious. She turned to kick off her shoes when the sight of her mother and her grandfather stopped her.

They were both dressed to go out. Her stomach sank at that. Jii-chan rarely wore anything other than his shrine robes, unless it was the suit he dragged out on special occasions like a school play. Now though he wore a simple button down shirt and slacks and Mama was in one her better dresses. Odder, yet, was the way they held each other, as if they were clutching each other for support; both wore expressions of strained calm.

What was going on?

"Now, now," her grandfather was saying, as he patted her mother's arm. "She's a strong girl, she'll pull through…" Though, he didn't sound so certain.

Who were they talking about?

"Mama, is everything alright?" Kagome called. "What's the matter?"

But, Mrs. Higurashi walked right past her, as if she hadn't heard her daughter. She hadn't even looked up; hadn't even acknowledged her.

"Jii-chan!" Kagome tried again. But, he too, ignored her. She moved to go after them when her grandfather's words froze her.

"_Kagome is going to be just fine._"

**What!?**

"Of course I'm fine! I'm right here," she told them. "Jii-chan? Mama!"

But they ignored her and Kagome stood frozen, watching in stunned disbelief as the adults passed by her with nary a glance and left the house.

Confusion and annoyance began to well as they got further and further away. White static overtook her senses…

An engine revved.

Kagome glanced up to see…the crosswalk where she had zoned out, earlier.

_What the heck was going on!?_

"Pssst! Girl!"

And now she was hearing voices, too. Great.

"I'm going crazy," Kagome said to herself.

"You in the school outfit!" the voice said again.

Kagome looked around her. She was the only one fitting that description, but she couldn't find the speaker.

"Over here!"

Trying to pinpoint the source, the school girl turned to look at the direction she'd thought the sound had come from. "The cross light?" Kagome muttered to herself.

But, the crosswalk light did not give any indication that it had said a word.

"Over here!"

Kagome let her gaze fall a little lower and found her source. A tiny woman stood across the street, on the other side of a wrought iron fence, motioning Kagome over to her.

Kagome waited until the light changed and walked over the fence. Upon closer inspection, it proved to be an older graveyard and the woman had a transparent quality and was wearing a hitaikakushi.

_Yuurei._

"You look lost, dearie," the ghost-woman said.

"Uhhh, no ma'am," Kagome answered, trying not to freak out and offend the ghost. There was no telling what an upset spirit might do.

"What's going on, Sakura?" another voice piped up.

Kagome and the ghost-woman looked further in the graveyard to see a second old woman rise from one of the graves. Kagome began to feel a little faint.

"Another lost one," the one named Sakura called back.

"But, I'm not lost," Kagome tried to explain patiently. She knew where she was—the crosswalk was right behind her. She just wasn't sure why she was here. Again.

"Oooohhh, this one's young," the second ghost noted, as she floated over. "Very pretty…don't let Houshi see her."

"She says she's not lost," Sakura told their new companion in a conspiratal voice, then cackled.

"Bah!" the second ghost said. She looked at Kagome again. "If you're not lost, where's your body?"

"My body?" Kagome parroted. This was beginning to feel like a bad Alice in Wonderland trip, like they'd been reading in Western Literature class.

"Must be new," Sakura commented and the second ghost nodded.

Kagome ignored them as she glanced down at herself. Uniform skirt, shirt, shoes and baggy socks still there? Yep. Absently, she brushed her skirt out and frowned at the women, ready to ask them what one earth they were talking about. Her frown turned deeper when she realized that she couldn't feel the comforting stiffness of the material. Surely, she couldn't have missed it? She looked down again and watched her hand move to and then _**through**_ her skirt.

'_What?!_' she thought. Slowly, Kagome raised her hand to her face and screamed when she realized that _she could see right though it_.

Sakura shook her head and glanced wryly at her friend. "Every time," she muttered as the ghost beside her nodded in agreement. 

"Mama? _**MAMA?!**_" Kagome cried as she tore through her house, barely recognizing that she couldn't remember how she got there.

The only response that greeted her was silence. The house was empty except for the slight ticking of the clock in the kitchen. Not even Buyo, the family cat, was around to be found.

Faintly, Kagome recalled that she had seen her mother and grandfather walking out of the house, clutching each other and talking about her. But that had been a dream, hadn't it? Surely, they never would have ignored her in real life. Just like she wouldn't be transparent in real life.

With a deep sigh, Kagome let out a single laugh. A dream. _'This is all a dream.'_It had to be. Although, it was certainly one of the most bizarre, yet vivid ones she had ever had. "But, now that I KNOW it's a dream, I can wake up," Kagome said to herself.

Yes, that was the logical step. Realize that you are dreaming and then wake up. And surely she was about to wake up because logic was a conscious thought and not a subconscious one and Kagome was thinking logically…..she waited to wake up.

The clock in the kitchen continued to tick as Kagome stood there, sure that any moment she would truly open her eyes….any moment…..

Nothing.

Maybe closing her eyes and then opening them?

Nope. Not working.

_'I'm going to pinch myself,'_ she decided. _Hard._ That would do the trick.

But her fingers went right through her arm _as if she wasn't there_. She wasn't there and she _**wasn't **_dreaming.

"Come on, Kagome. Wake up! WAKE UP!"

Panic began to grip and Kagome could feel herself slipping into hysteria as she tried again and again to unsuccessfully reach her skin by pinching, poking, slapping and scratching herself; finally screaming in outrage. She reached out and shoved anything close to her in her desperate fit, but nothing moved. Not the table, the television, Mama's cookware or any of Kagome's own things in her room. She passed through all of them with nothing to show for it.

"No!" she cried. "NO, NO, NO, NO, _**NO**_!" She fell to the floor, sobbing.

When would this terrifying nightmare end?

* * *

**A/N: **Six years and this is what I do to Kagome. I'm a terrible person. Please review and let me know what you think. Honest critiquing is like bread for any starving author.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own a damn thing.

**A/N:** As this is unbeta-ed, any mistakes are my own. _For __**Death101 **__and__** DragonSlayer2187**_.

* * *

The house was quiet as the sky turned from grey to blue as the sun rose over the city. Kagome watched the morning start dispassionately from her curled up position on her bedroom floor.

Neither Mama, Jii-chan nor Souta had not returned, leaving her to suffer this horror by herself. Throughout the night she had tried again and again to 'wake up', to try to touch anything only to burst into tears at her failure to connect with anything solid. By the time dawn had broken, she was mentally exhausted and hadn't moved for nearly five hours.

It was only when the sun angled itself through her bedroom window and into her sight that she rolled over. She sighed and reluctantly allowed her mind to focus on the present instead of floating in the numbness that had washed over her.

So she was intangible (not quite ready to accept that she was a ghost) and apparently a little translucent, she noted as she inspected her hand in the sunbeam, clinically watching the tiny dust motes floating through her. Corporeal…

The Yuurei had seen her, though. And had spoken to her.

Kagome sat up. She was going to go back to the cemetery to speak to the two women. She'd been too freaked out about the circumstances last time, but perhaps she could get them to explain what was going on. It was the only option she had at this point.

Hesitantly, she made her way to the mirror over her dresser and was pleasantly surprised that she could actually see her reflection. Hope sparked in her for a moment as she reached for the glass, but it died as her hand passed through. Her lip trembled, but Kagome did her best to shake it off. She was going to fix this problem...right after she figured out how to make herself look like she hadn't spent the worst night of her life screaming and crying like some kind of Oni. She tried to scrub her face with her hands, to rub the crud out of her lashes before she remembered that her own hand went through herself. Great….

She sighed and halfheartedly raised her gaze back to the reflective surface. To her shock, it was as if her blotchy skin and puffy eyes had never existed! Her hair looked less like a bird's nest and more like the glossy waves she was used to. She wasn't sure how that had happened, but at this point she was just going to be grateful it had.

0o0o0o0

"Well, look who's returned!" Sakura exclaimed as Kagome approached the fence.

"The little lost girl," the second ghost greeted with a smile.

Kagome tilted her head at the title. "You've said that before—that I was 'lost'. What do you mean?"

"Now she asks!" the nameless woman cackled. "Come inside, dearie. We can explain." At the school girl's obvious hesitation, she grinned. "It's not a trap, child. But we can't go any further than the grounds."

Once beyond the fence, Kagome noticed how quiet it was, as if the sounds of the city had been somehow muted just by her crossing into the cemetery. The peaceful silence of the graveyard itself put Kagome in mind of a very private park…well in a way it sort of was, she supposed.

"There aren't many who still linger here," Sakura said, catching the girl taking note of the surroundings. "Most have already gone on."

Of course, it begged the question why the two women before her had not done so as well, but there was no polite way Kagome could see to ask that. Besides, it was really none of her business.

"You, however…you need to go back," the ghost continued.

"Back?" Kagome repeated.

"Back," Sakura's companion affirmed. At the girl's stunned silence, she shook her head. "You're not dead, girl."

Joy burst through her. "I'm not!?"

"And you're not a parrot, either," she chided.

Chastised, Kagome meekly ducked her head and apologized.

The Yuurei shared a look and let it pass.

The second one carried on. "But just because you're not dead now, doesn't mean you won't be if you don't get back to your body."

"…I'm not sure I even know where my body _is_," the school girl confessed. She hadn't given it much thought, actually, being somewhat previously distracted by the fact she was no longer solid.

"Well, the ambulance took you south," Sakura offered, pointing in the direction.

"Ambulance?"

"You don't remember what happened to you, do you?" the second one guessed.

Kagome shook her head.

"You were hit by a car, apparently while you were crossing the street. We came to the fence to watch the ruckus you had caused."

Hit by a car…she tried to remember… "…birds…" Kagome muttered to herself. "I was watching birds…and I was…flying?"

"So you were in the street, not paying attention, got hit by a car and your body is probably in a comatose state," Sakura's friend surmised in an unimpressed tone.

It sounded so…caustic, but lacking her own explanation for the events that led up to her situation, the young woman grudgingly accepted that the Yuurei's scenario could have been the truth of the matter.

"We have a visitor!" a fourth and male voice pronounced from behind Kagome. She looked over her shoulder to see an elderly man garbed in incredibly old Buddhist robes, floating towards them. She heard a sigh from the women, but kept her sights on the newcomer.

The man grinned as he approached and opened his mouth to speak again, before pausing in front of Kagome and really looking at her. His expression changed from pleasant to sudden, serious interest. "My child, have you managed to escape the cycle of life and death?" he asked with audible awe in his voice.

"Eh?" Flustered at the question, Kagome mentally scrambled. "I—no?" she replied, glancing back at the women.

"She's in a coma, Houshi," Sakura replied.

"Ah!" Houshi replied, peering at the school girl. "Yes, your body sleeps while your spirit wanders," he said, as he took her in, frowning slightly. "Pity for one as young and pretty as you, my dear."

Slightly unnerved by his words, Kagome answered "I'm trying to get back to my body."

It was a long minute of silence that fell over the group as the spirit of the Houshi circled Kagome, three pairs of eyes following his every movement. Finally, he came to rest back in front of her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "May Buddha guide your path, child and show you the way…" he intoned solemnly, looking somber. He bowed his head in prayer. When he finished, he glanced back in the direction he had originally come from. I believe I see my great-grandson coming to visit." He moved back and executed a formal bow. "Good day, ladies."

As he floated off, Kagome turned back to the Yuurei behind her. To her surprise, both 'stood' with matching expressions of disbelief.

"He…" the second one began. "He didn't try to grab you."

"No," Kagome answered slowly, even though it hadn't been phrased as a question. The fact that the woman seemed surprised at that further creeped her out.

"Celibate wasn't one of the virtues that man followed closely," Sakura explained distractedly.

Which would account for his great-grandson. Kagome could see him at his ancestor's grave marker from her position.

Feeling a funny pull in her chest, like someone or something was trying to get her attention; the young woman excused herself from the women and drifted closer to where the Houshi was watching the boy pray. She stayed far enough away to give them privacy, but continued to watch while trying to pinpoint what the curious feeling in her chest was.

A flash of red caught her attention and Kagome spotted two people hanging round the outside of the fence. There was girl with a long high ponytail wearing a simple dress and a camera around her neck talking to a person with the longest whitest hair the school girl had ever seen.

The feeling in her chest grew brighter just for a moment, but enough to for her to alter direction and head for the pair.

"Why the hell do _I _gotta be roped inta this?" the white haired person groused as the movement of shoulders and back suggested they were crossing their arms. It sounded like a boy. The hair was a big throw off, but Kagome had never seen any female slouch petulantly like that.

"Because you _owe_ me," the girl with the camera said in a tone that she'd explained this more than once, as she fiddled with her equipment. "And if we don't end up with at least a handful of decent shots today, I'm shooting again until we do."

Her companion gave a put-upon sigh and Kagome finally managed to be close enough to see the white-haired person in full. It _was_ a boy, only a little older than her, if she had to guess.

And despite his long hair, there was nothing feminine about him. His red button up shirt was left undone at the neck and had the sleeves rolled back to his elbows leaving his tan skin and corded muscles on display and black slacks that fit very well. He had dark, heavy brows over the most brilliant golden eyes a mouth that just spelled trouble, even set as it was in its current scowl.

Kagome never considered herself to have a 'type', Hojo aside—any good looking boy that like Kagome was okay in her book—but there was just something about _this_ boy that really caught her attention…

0o0o0o0

Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes at Sango's threat of repeating this annoying photo shoot until she was satisfied with the results and mentally made a note to be too busy to pose if that was really the case. He liked the girl well enough and all, but unless she had some serious dirt on him, this was a one-and-done thing. He made another mental note to make sure Houshi hadn't accidentally given any blackmail material about him to Miroku's crush of his dreams. Bad enough all she'd had to do was barely bat her eyes at him when she asked if they could be models for her project, Yash didn't need her pulling all of his secrets out of his oldest friend, too.

A chill pricked at the back of his neck and for some weird reason, it felt like there was someone watching him. He looked behind him carefully, but couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. Houshi was still at his great-whatever's grave; head bowed and eyes closed. He glanced around the cemetery once more. Nothing.

"Yash?"

Sango's voice broke him from his silent search and he looked back to her, only to see her gaze in the same direction his had been in seconds before—on Miroku. "Houshi's not gonna take too long is he?"

Inu-Yasha was on the verge of simply shrugging and telling the girl that his best friend would take however long he needed, but paused at both the feeling of still being watched and the look on Sango's face.

As casual and cool as the girl was around Miroku and all of his cheesy and perverted advances, Sango was probably the first female that seemed to genuinely care about him, despite his playboy status. She's been quick to shut his shit down when Miroku had been oozing with charm, trying to get up her skirt, initially, but as Miroku backed off with the passes and the bad lines, Sango seemed more inclined to spend her time with him and Yash as an extension. The three of them were slowly becoming a trio, and Inu-Yasha really didn't find it in him to mind. Sango was becoming a decent girl to hang around, so he gave her his best answer.

"Miroku stops in for 'enlightenment' from his ancestor anytime he's 'round here, but he prob'ly won't take forever, t'day. He knows we got shit ta do." He kept a casual eye on her as he spoke and barely suppressed a smirk when the brunette finally dragged her eyes from Miroku to face him and quickly glance away as she tried to overcome a blush.

True to Inu-Yasha's prediction, Miroku joined them only a few moments later. "Shall we?"

Glancing one last time at the cemetery and spotting nothing out of place, the other boy nodded and the three of them set off for Sango's little torture session.

Kagome watched them move on, feeling a hollowness the further they got from her. She really needed to find her body. The women had said that the ambulance had gone in the opposite direction, but there were at least three hospitals on that side of the city and Kagome had no clue where to even begin.

And she couldn't explain it, but somehow she knew that if she let this boy get out of her sight, she'd be in a bad situation…

Decision made, the school girl followed the trio.

0o0o0o0

"For the last time, Yash, look at the camera!" the girl sighed.

Yash sighed and refocused his attention on the lens as the camera clicked away.

"Seriously, Inu-Yasha, what's with you? You've been spacey since we left the cemetery."

_Inu-Yasha?_ Someone had seriously named their child that? No wonder he went by 'Yash'.

The boy in question huffed. "'S nuthin'…" he grumbled.

"Well, I hope 'nuthin'' was worth it, because if I can't get a decent shot for this, I'm making you do this again," the girl told him casually.

That seemed to get his attention. "What?! If you think I'm gonna wear this get-up again-!"

"Then you better hope I can get a good shot," the brunette fired back.

Miroku turned to the other boy and spoke to him in a low tone. "I appreciate that you might be taking my request for a wingman seriously…"

Inu-Yasha turned his head to stare at him incredulously. "What?! Fuck, no! It ain't that!" he insisted.

Startled at the vehemence in his friend's voice, Miroku leaned back with a surprised look on his face. It only lasted for a second, however as his features smoothed into his common expression of serenity, marred only by an arched brow. "Oh? Then your lack of focus can be attributed to…?"

The white-haired boy looked furtive for a moment before leaning fractionally closer. "Don't you feel like we're being watched?"

Kagome felt like cheering. Inu-Yasha had looked in her direction a couple of times now, even if he didn't seem to see anything, it was obvious he was searching for something or some_one._ If he could at least feel her presence then perhaps all hope wasn't lost. Though she wasn't quite sure what this meant, she was pleased to see she at least had an impact on this plane after all.

Miroku looked at his friend as if he were crazy for a second, before taking in the seriousness of the other boy's expression. Quickly he checked out the area before looking back to Inu-Yasha. "I don't see anyone here, besides us," he answered quietly.

Sango had ferreted out a crumbling little alley at a neglected area of the prefecture and claimed it would be a perfect backdrop for the shots. It was a little weird not seeing any sign of life, but they used it anyways. Still, the white haired youth couldn't shake the haunted feeling that had followed him since Miroku's little side-trip and it was pricking at his nerves like a bitch.

"That's better!" Sango's voice broke in. She snapped away like crazy, and then lowered the camera to check her pictures. "You two look like you're making some kind of sketchy deal," she teased, as she reviewed her work. She looked up and assessed the boys thoughtfully. "Maybe we should do this with trench coats…"

"I ain't dressin' up like the damn Yakuza!" Inu-Yasha snapped.

"Jeeze, Yasha, chill…" the young woman replied.

0o0o0o0

Kagome had to admit that the two young men had made a very interesting picture, as they leaned closer together in conference. She watched as they went into the next round of posing, but was slightly disappointed that any further conversation about being watched ceased.

After nearly an hour, the three of them decided it was time to call it quits and went their separate ways.

Kagome made sure to take special note of the route Inu-Yasha took to his next destination, which was thankfully his home. Satisfied that she knew where to find him again, Kagome decided it was time to find her body.

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